Taretha Foxton
Taretha Foxton, or "Tari" to her friends was an old friend of Thrall who helped him escape captivity and slavery at the hands of General Aedelas Blackmoore at Durnholde Keep. Had Taretha been born in a major city, her life would have been different. As it was, Tari was the daughter of Blackmoore's secretary, Tammis Foxton, and despite her intelligence, was not allowed to become the woman she might have been. Despite her minor role, a mere footnote in the annals of history, Taretha Foxton's actions forever changed the world. Biography Tari, a child of five years, ensured Thrall's survival as an infant by being the only person in Durnholde to realize he was a baby- he simply couldn't eat the meat the guards gave him because he didn't have teeth. When she innocently posed this information, Thrall's diet was hastily changed to milk, and he thrived in the Foxton household. When Thrall was eventually weaned, he was taken away, and Tari wept bitter tears for the green-skinned child she regarded as her little brother. Years later, Tari, still in her preteens, helped Blackmoore's military advisor, Sergeant, procure books on military strategy to train Thrall how to think, part of Blackmoore's plans for the orc. Tari used the books to keep up a correspondence with Thrall, still keeping her unusually sharp intelligence hidden. At some point, about ten years ago, Blackmoore made Tari his mistress, a position she secretly despised (there are references to strange bruises on her wrists). After Thrall was savagely beaten for losing in the arena, Tari helped him escape Durnholde as both an act of friendship and revenge. Tari set fire to the barn after setting all the animals free, then helped her friend escape by leaving him a large cloak with which to sneak out the front gate while the guards were busy. When Thrall learned of her relationship with Blackmoore, he begged her to go with him, but Tari refused, for the sake of her family. Tari gave Thrall a necklace with the emblem of a cresent moon (interestingly, the symbol of Elune) as a means of contacting her should he ever need help. Eventually, Thrall did need help. Tari was asked by her friend, now the Warchief of a new Horde, to help them negotiate with Blackmoore. Tari insisted that it was useless and again declined to leave with Thrall. Unfortunately, Blackmoore had her followed and when she returned he questioned her and imprisoned her until he was drunk enough to order her execution. The following day, a very drunk Blackmoore hurled Taretha's head at Thrall from the battlements. The sight of the dead woman was so shocking that Thrall cried for the first time in life. Needless to say, the loss of the woman, who for years, had been his only friend, did not sit well with the shaman Warchief, and he killed Blackmoore in a duel. After evacuating the keep of humans, he used his new shamanistic skills to destroy Durnholde Keep. World of Warcraft Tari's Necklace Years later, after Thrall became the Warchief, he sent a number of orc volunteers to Durnholde Keep on a mission to investigate the Syndicate activity in the area as well as recover Taretha's necklace (the same she once gave to him), now worn by Elysa, a mistress of Lord Aliden Perenolde, the leader of the Syndicate who believed in slavery and sought to subjugate orcs once again. The mission was initially a failure with the leader Gol'Dir and his companions Drull and Tog'Thar being captured by the Syndicate. Krusk escaped, however, and enlisted the aid of an unknown Horde agent, who helped rescue his comrades and recover the necklace, slaying Lord Aliden in the process. Caverns of Time Taretha was instrumental in allowing Thrall to escape from Durnholde. However, the Infinite Dragonflight has captured Taretha and is holding her prisoner in Tarren Mill, west of Durnholde. Without Taretha's intervention, Thrall would not be able to escape Durnholde. Players must travel through the Caverns of Time, aid Thrall in his escape from Durnholde, and then travel to Tarren Mill to free Taretha from the massive Infinite Dragon known as the Epoch Hunter. Taretha's model in-game is nearly identical to Jaina's, corroborating the various sources that note their similarities. Her impact By helping Thrall escape, Taretha ensured the future of the Horde by giving them a new Warchief. Taretha was willing to trust other orcs she met in Thrall's company, showing Frostwolf and Warsong orcs that peace (or at least cooperation) between the two races was possible. Jaina Proudmoore resembled Taretha, both physically and mentally, and this likeness may have helped Thrall overcome his distaste for humans and trust the Alliance. In any case, it was Tari who first showed Thrall that friendship between humans and orcs was possible, and this lesson enabled the Alliance and the Horde to ally with each other, and thus defeat Mannoroth, and later join the Sentinels at Mount Hyjal to vanquish Archimonde. Thus, Taretha Foxton was indirectly responsible for freeing the orcs from their curse, and saving Azeroth from the Defiler. To date, Taretha Foxton is the only human who has had a lok'vadnod ("Song of a Hero") composed in her honor. Foxton, Taretha Foxton, Taretha Foxton, Taretha